Breast and gynecologic health-screening behaviors among 191 women with spinal cord injuries

Objective: The purpose of this study was to advance the understanding of preventive health behaviors of women with spinal cord injury (SCI) by comparing the frequency of preventive health behaviors (a) between women with SCI and women in the general population, and (b) among women with SCI as a function of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). Design: Telephone interviews. Participants: 191 women with SCI who had been treated at I of 4 Model SCI Systems hospitals. The sample included 66 white women, 59 African American women, 22 American Indian women, and 44 Hispanic women. Main Outcome Measure: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Results: Study participants reported significant differences in their frequency of either mammograms or Pap smears when compared with the general population. However, no significant differences were found among study participants when rates were compared by race/ethnicity to the general population. Also, no differences were found among the women with SCI as a function of race/ethnicity or income level. Conclusion: The results are encouraging, because no deficits in preventive health care were identified among women with SCI as a function of race/ethnicity or SES.